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Olivia Benson
Detective Officer |affiliation = NYPD |division = Special Victims Unit CPU Crimes Unit |precinct = 16th Precinct 55th Precinct |occupation = Police officer |family = Serena Benson Joseph Hollister Simon Marsden Ty Marsden Olivia Marsden Noah Porter-Benson |status = Alive |first = "Payback" |playedby = Mariska Hargitay}} Sergeant Olivia "Liv" Benson heads up the Manhattan Special Victims Unit. Prior to taking over SVU, Benson worked as a SVU detective and was partnered with Elliot Stabler for over twelve years. After Elliot's resignation, Benson partnered primarily with Nick Amaro before she became a sergeant and took over the SVU unit from Captain Donald Cragen. Her detective badge number is 4015. Family Olivia was most likely born in 1968, although no birth date has ever been given. She was the product of the rape of Serena Benson in 1967 by a food salesman named Joseph Hollister, who later committed suicide. At the time of the rape, Serena had been working in the cafeteria of Columbia University. Benson's mother, Serena, was an alcoholic who emotionally abused Benson. Serena died from injuries sustained in a fall when she was drunk, which left Benson deeply saddened. Benson has a half-brother, Simon Marsden. She didn't find out about her brother until they were both adults after she illegally ran her DNA through a kinship analysis. Simon was later accused of a series of break-ins and one rape, for which he was later cleared. Personality Benson is deeply sympathetic with victims of sex crimes and as a result, she is often quick to believe victims' stories. Her former partner Elliot Stabler was often more skeptical of victims' accounts, which often brought the two partners into conflict. Benson's ability to sympathize with victims is a tremendous asset, but there are times when it comes back to haunt her. She went undercover in a women's prison to find a rapist and was almost raped herself until Detective Odafin Tutuola, also undercover there as a guard of the facility, managed to save her just moments before the man (a fellow guard) could violate her. Afterwards, Benson developed a severe case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but has been receiving counseling for the assault and has been seen dealing with it more constructively. While speaking to a victim of a separate rape, the victim asked her if she was better having dealt with her rapist, and Benson told her that she was better, but that she wouldn't ever forget what happened. When she was captured by another rapist she was kidnapped tortured and almost raped again. This event brought back her PTSD and she goes to therapy to deal with it. She later identifies with a woman named Sarah Walsh who, like her, was sexually assaulted twice and helps both her and herself in dealing with these incidents. While a dedicated officer, Benson is more likely to go to bat for women she deals with during cases than men, and has shown skepticism during cases where women are the offenders and men are the victim, or allows her sympathy of the victim to cloud her judgement and make her commit actions without thinking. This was exemplified when she interrogated a man until he confessed to a crime which he was later found to be innocent of and sending him to prison for life, which could have been avoided if she was thinking clearly enough to check on the evidence. ( : "Justice Denied") Skills and abilities Benson speaks some Spanish, Italian, Russian, and French. She is also able to read the Miranda rights in two or three other languages. ( : "Prodigy") Early life Benson found out about the man who raped her mother and others. He knew about his daughter and kept track of her. He once tried to call her but got Serena instead. ( : "Philadelphia", "Florida") Benson was a graduate of Siena College. ( : "Stalked") Benson and Serena seemed to care about each other a great deal. ( : "Payback") Serena was worried about Benson working in the Special Victims Unit. Serena died as the result of a fall down the subway stairs across from a bar. ( : "Taken") Benson said her mother was a drunk. Benson became involved with a child who was neglected by her parents that way Benson felt neglected by her mother. ( : "Abuse") Benson said she was in love with an older man and that she "couldn't have loved him more." ( : "Wanderlust") Benson once told Casey Novak about an incident when she was 16. An older student of her mother asked her to marry him and when she told Serena that she was leaving, her mother who had been drinking flew into a rage and went after her with a broken bottle. Benson kicked her mother into a wall and ran to Simone Bryce for help. After arguing with ADA Sonya Paxton about alcoholism and seeing her drunk in court, she was moved to leave flowers at her mother's grave. ( : "Intoxicated") Officer-involved shootings *Roger Silver ( : "Disrobed") *Eric Plummer ( : "Wrath") Appearances *''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (16 seasons, 357 episodes): **Season 1: "Payback" • "A Single Life" • "...Or Just Look Like One" • "Hysteria" • "Wanderlust" • "Sophomore Jinx" • "Uncivilized" • "Stalked" •"Stocks & Bondage" • "Closure (Part I)" • "Bad Blood" • "Russian Love Poem" • "Disrobed" • "Limitations" • "Entitled" • "The Third Guy" • "Misleader" • "Chat Room" • "Contact" • "Remorse" • "Nocturne" • "Slaves" **Season 2: "Wrong Is Right" • "Honor" • "Closure (Part II)" • "Legacy" • "Baby Killer" • "Noncompliance" • "Asunder" • "Taken" • "Pixies" • "Consent" • "Abuse" • "Secrets" • "Victims" • "Paranoia" • "Countdown" • "Runaway" • "Folly" • "Manhunt" • "Parasites" • "Pique" • "Scourge" **Season 3: "Repression" • "Wrath" • "Stolen" • "Rooftop" • "Tangled" • "Redemption" • "Sacrifice" • "Inheritance" • "Care" • "Ridicule" • "Monogamy" • "Protection" • "Prodigy" • "Counterfeit" • "Execution" • "Popular" • "Surveillance" • "Guilt" • "Justice" • "Greed" • "Denial" • "Competence" • "Silence" **Season 4: "Chameleon" • "Deception" • "Vulnerable" • "Lust" • "Disappearing Acts" • "Angels" • "Dolls" • "Waste" • "Juvenile" • "Resilience" • "Damaged" • "Risk" • "Rotten" • "Mercy" • "Pandora" • "Tortured" • "Privilege" • "Desperate" • "Appearances" • "Dominance" • "Fallacy" • "Futility" • "Grief" • "Perfect" • "Soulless" **Season 5: "Tragedy" • "Manic" • "Mother" • "Loss" • "Serendipity" • "Coerced" • "Choice" • "Abomination" • "Control" • "Shaken" • "Escape" • "Brotherhood" • "Hate" • "Ritual" • "Families" • "Home" • "Mean" • "Careless" • "Sick" • "Lowdown" • "Criminal" • "Painless" • "Bound" • "Poison" • "Head" **Season 6: "Birthright" • "Debt" • "Obscene" • "Scavenger" • "Outcry" • "Conscience" • "Charisma" • "Doubt" • "Weak" • "Haunted" • "Contagious" • "Identity" • "Quarry" • "Game" • "Hooked" • "Ghost" • "Rage" • "Pure" • "Intoxicated" • "Night" • "Blood" • "Goliath" **Season 7: "Demons" • "Design" • "911" • "Ripped" • "Strain" • "Raw" • "Starved" • "Rockabye" • "Storm" • "Alien" • "Infected" • "Blast" • "Taboo" • "Manipulated" • "Gone" • "Class" • "Venom" • "Fault" • "Fat" • "Web" • "Influence" **Season 8: "Informed" • "Infiltrated" • "Underbelly" • "Choreographed" • "Scheherazade" • "Burned" • "Outsider" • "Loophole" • "Dependent" • "Haystack" • "Philadelphia" • "Sin" • "Responsible" • "Florida" • "Annihilated" • "Pretend" • "Screwed" **Season 9: "Alternate" • "Avatar" • "Impulsive" • "Savant" • "Harm" • "Svengali" • "Blinded" • "Fight" • "Paternity" • "Snitch" • "Streetwise" • "Signature" • "Unorthodox" • "Inconceivable" • "Undercover" • "Closet" • "Authority" • "Trade" • "Cold" **Season 10: "Trials" • "Confession" • "Swing" • "Lunacy" • "Retro" • "Babes" • "Wildlife" • "Persona" • "PTSD" • "Smut" • "Stranger" • "Hothouse" • "Snatched" • "Transitions" • "Lead" • "Ballerina" • "Hell" • "Selfish" • "Crush" • "Liberties" • "Zebras" **Season 11: "Unstable" • "Sugar" • "Solitary" • "Hammered" • "Hardwired" • "Spooked" • "Users" • "Turmoil" • "Perverted" • "Anchor" • "Quickie" • "Shadow" • "P.C." • "Savior" • "Confidential" • "Witness" • "Disabled" • "Bedtime" • "Conned" • "Beef" • "Torch" • "Ace" • "Wannabe" • "Shattered" **Season 12: "Locum" • "Bullseye" • "Behave" • "Merchandise" • "Wet" • "Branded" • "Trophy" • "Penetration" • "Gray" • "Rescue" • "Pop" • "Possessed" • "Mask" • "Dirty" • "Flight" • "Spectacle" • "Pursuit" • "Bully" • "Bombshell" • "Totem" • "Bang" • "Delinquent" • "Smoked" **Season 13: "Scorched Earth" • "Personal Fouls" • "Blood Brothers" • "Double Strands" • "Missing Pieces" • "True Believers" • "Russian Brides" • "Educated Guess" • "Lost Traveler" • "Spiraling Down" • "Theatre Tricks" • "Official Story" • "Father's Shadow" • "Home Invasions" • "Hunting Ground" • "Child's Welfare" • "Justice Denied" • "Valentine's Day" • "Street Revenge" • "Father Dearest" • "Learning Curve" • "Strange Beauty" • "Rhodium Nights" **Season 14: "Lost Reputation" • "Above Suspicion" • "Twenty-Five Acts" • "Acceptable Loss" • "Manhattan Vigil" • Friending Emily" • "Vanity's Bonfire" • "Lessons Learned" • "Dreams Deferred" • "Presumed Guilty" • "Beautiful Frame" • "Criminal Hatred" • "Monster's Legacy" • "Secrets Exhumed" • "Deadly Ambition" • "Funny Valentine" • "Undercover Blue" • "Legitimate Rape" • "Born Psychopath" • "Girl Dishonored" • "Traumatic Wound" • "Poisoned Motive" • "Brief Interlude" • "Her Negotiation" **Season 15: "Surrender Benson" • "Imprisoned Lives" • "American Tragedy" • "Internal Affairs • "Wonderland Story" • "October Surprise" • "Dissonant Voices" • "Military Justice" • "Rapist Anonymous" • "Psycho/Therapist" • "Amaro's One-Eighty" • "Jersey Breakdown" • "Betrayal's Climax" • "Wednesday's Child" • "Comic Perversion" • "Gridiron Soldier" • "Gambler's Fallacy" • "Criminal Stories" • "Downloaded Child" • "Beast's Obsession" • "Post-Mortem Blues" • "Reasonable Doubt" • "Thought Criminal" • "Spring Awakening" **Season 16: "Girls Disappeared" • "American Disgrace" • "Producer's Backend" • "Holden's Manifesto" • "Pornstar's Requiem" • "Glasgowman's Wrath" • "Chicago Crossover" • "Spousal Privilege" • "Pattern Seventeen" • "Forgiving Rollins" • "Agent Provocateur" • "Padre Sandungeuro" • "Decaying Morality" • "Intimidation Game" • "Undercover Mother" • "December Solstice" • "Parole Violations" • "Devastating Story" • "Granting Immunity" • "Daydream Believer" • "Perverted Justice" • "Parents' Nightmare" • "Surrendering Noah" *''Law & Order'' (2 seasons, 3 episodes): **Season 10: "Entitled" • "Fools For Love" **Season 16: "Flaw" *''Law & Order: Trial by Jury'' (1 season, 1 episode): **Season 1: "Day" *''Chicago P.D.'' (1 season, 2 episodes): **Season 2: "They'll Have to Go Through Me" • "The Number of Rats" *''Chicago Fire'' (1 season, 1 episode) **Season 3: "We Called Her Jelly Bean" Trivia * As of Season 16, Olivia is the last remaining original character from the first season of Law and Order: SVU. de:Olivia Benson fr:Olivia Benson Category:SVU Characters Category:NYPD Characters Category:Special Victims Unit Category:Sergeants Category:Females Category:L&O Characters Category:TBJ Characters Category:SVU Main Characters Category:Crossover Characters Category:Suspects Category:Victims